As one of the core divisions within our department, the staff of communications plays a critical role in the public safety mission. Emergency Communications Specialists are the primary connection between officers and the community. They handle 9-1-1 calls from the public, business telephone calls, radio traffic from officers in the field, and maintain records of information from and to the department in a sophisticated computer system.

The communications center for Burlington is located within the Burlington Police Department and handles all calls for Police, Fire and Rescue. Such a responsibility is very demanding, and it is not uncommon for the Specialists to handle several hundred calls or requests for information within any shift of the day.

With changes in technology, the communications center was selected to receive equipment upgrades. This project provided new radio gear in the station and in the field, as well as mobile computers for officers on the road.